Claire B.

September 19, 1704

Dear Diary,

Good Day!  My name is Cornelia Rose Evans.  My family lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  We came to Pennsylvania because we wanted religious freedom and good farmland (1, History Alive).  My hope is that future generations reading this diary will understand what life was like for me and my family in colonial times.

I have a brother named Samuel who is 8 years old and a sister, Molly, who is 6 years old and a brother named Seth, 4 years old. My mother’s name is Mercy.  She is a teacher and teaches in a backroom in our house.  My Father, Eli, owns a farm store where we sell all the crops that we grow on our farm.  My grandfather’s name is Jared he was in the war. My grandmother’s name is Henrietta, her job is to take care of us when Ma is teaching. Today Molly got in big trouble when she was late to Dame school.  Ma spanked her with the wooden stick because she was outside playing with rags when it was time for school to start (2, IYLICT).  I heard Molly sobbing and mother said, “Stop right now!”.  

I am 11 years old and have beautiful long blonde hair the color of wheat.  My Ma always puts my hair in a braid to keep it off my face and out of my way when I do chores.  My hair goes to the bottom of my back.  My royal blue eyes are the shape of perfect circles behind my glasses.  I need glasses for reading.  I wear dresses and my black shoes everyday (3, IYLICT).  My favorite dress is the one I get to wear to church because it is long and white with vertical light blue stripes.  It is gathered at the top and flows down to my toes.  In the summer months I have to stay in the shade so I don’t get a sunburn.  My skin is light and I burn easily.  My bonnett helps to keep the sun off my face (4, IYLICT).

Pa chose to move our family to Philadelphia, PA because his brother had a very productive farm here. (5, History Alive) My uncle Levi’s crops were bountiful many years in a row.  Pa wanted to move us to a colony with better soil for farming.  The Philadelphia colony was thriving and many farming families were able to survive comfortably.  Ma and Pa were very religious.  Pa insisted on a colony that had a large meeting house.

My sister Molly and I share one side of the loft.  My brothers share the other side of the loft.  Ma and Pa’s room is on the first floor.  My grandparents will be moving in, in a few days and will also live on the first floor.  Our house will be  a little crowded but it will be fun being all together.  In the cold months Pa keeps the fire running day and night to keep the house warm.  Ma bakes breads and pies in the stone oven over the fire.  The Dame School house room is attached to the back our our house. (6, IYLICT)  I love living on a farm.  All the crops and animals are a short walk from the back door.  There is always something fun to do on the farm.

Farewell, see you soon!

Cornelia Rose Evans